The invention relates to a tyre building machine for applying apex strips to beads to form a bead-apex assembly.
A tyre building machine for applying an apex strip to a bead to form a bead-apex assembly is known from European patent 1 755 874 B1. The known tyre building machine comprises a gripper for transporting the apex to the bead. The gripper is provided with jaws for engaging onto and disengaging from the apex strip. The jaws are controlled by drives in the form of pneumatic cylinders mounted on the gripper. The aforementioned tyre building machine is complex due to the couplings to be made to the drives of the gripper and the construction of the gripper itself.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved tyre building machine for applying apex strips to beads to form a bead-apex assembly.